Blue Ridge School - Review #1

About the Author:

College Enrolled

Western State Colorado University

Home Town, State

Austin, TX

Years Attended Boarding School

2

Activities During Boarding School

Blue Ridge offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities. Personally I was captain of the Mountain Biking team and named Most Valuable Mountain Biker two years in a row. The Theater program at BRS is top notch as well.

Reflections and Advice:

1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?

Over all, Blue Ridge School is a fantastic place for those who love the out doors. Not only is the Outdoor Program #1 in the country, but the campus is located on 400 acres of Appalachian Forrest with groomed mountain biking trails and interpretive hiking trails.

2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?

Entering Blue Ridge I was a boy, I left a man of well rounded education. My greatest achievement was based out of personal goals. I rode my bicycle ~750 miles from Austin Texas to Blue Ridge School. However I would have never achieved this goal if I didn't receive such a push from my school and my teachers. My college counselor Carrie Woods and my guidance counselor Markley Anderson actually rode countless miles with me in my journey helping me along the way.

3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?

I would have been more prepared for dorm life... In the beginning I didn't have a laptop to type papers in my room with, having a television would have been nice. Instead of getting a huge sound system to blast music on, get blue tooth headphones that cancel noise. Always stock up on snack food. Options are limited on campus.Getting homesick is part of growing up, sometimes it happens to me in college. Being at boarding school is for a great cause, yourself. Anyone in your family or at home who loves you understands that this is a great opportunity to seize.

4.) What did you like most about your school?

Anything I wanted to pursue academically or athletically could be pursued. The Blue Ridge School Outdoor Program is by far my favorite part of the school. I went snowboarding, canoeing, hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, zip-lining, and/or backpacking almost every weekend while maintaining grades I was proud of.

5.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?

I recommend checking out Senior Rock, its a great place to hang out on a sunny day. I enjoyed being in dorms that backed up to the trails, look at the campus map on the website. Always stock up on food when possible.

Academics:

1.) Describe the academics at your school - what did you like most about it?

Due to the fact that BRS is an all male school, it opens up new opportunities in the classroom not being afraid of what a girl may think of your comment behind you or even distracting you at all. The amount of writing I had to do for each of my classes was not too much, but allowed us to share our ideas and philosophies on different subjects in a healthy and entertaining way. The motto above the doorway of the academic wing of the school is "Teaching Boys to Reach", this is a college-prep school, but not your typical college-prep in the fact that the competitiveness within class is there if you desire it. But the honest truth is, they will help you no matter what. Be honest, work hard, and you will be rewarded at this school.

Athletics:

1.) Describe the athletics at your school - what did you like most about it?

The athletics program is great, due to the boarding school schedule you are able to get out and practice/play vastly more than any day or co-ed school. During my time there, BRS won the state championship for football. The athletics coaches are truly talented in pushing you to your fullest potential, in and out of the classroom. They are all intellectuals and value school over sport. As the Mountain biking team captain I found myself right at home fixing bikes, teaching friends, and getting to ride every single day. Mandatory participation in 2 active sports out of 3 afternoon programs is required, in my experience this helped me blow off stress, I did Mountain biking, soccer, indoor soccer, drama, and rock band.

Art, Music, and Theatre:

1.) Describe the arts program at your school - what did you like most about it?

Jerry King. The mastermind behind all of the production of Blue Ridge School. He is inspiring, talented, and most of all the greatest friend you could ask for. He goes above and beyond in all aspects of life. He pushes each person in a show to their peak performance, and the results are spectacular. Mr.King goes to the local public high school to ask the director if any girls would like to be in the Blue Ridge productions, many leap at the opportunity because of the individual acting coaching they get with Mr.King. I was never in the visual arts program, however David Welty is fabulous artist and has had students go to art schools all over the world, and his studio has massive amounts of supplies. If you work hard at art here, you will be able to participate in projects you wouldn't have dreamed of.

Extracurricular Opportunities:

1.) Describe the extracurriculars offered at your school - what did you like most about it?

Saturday Morning programs were pretty neat, waking up and watching a movie or seeing a performance as a school. Ranging from lectures from college professors to Lord of the Rings movie marathons to entire camps capture the flag, something is always happening on Saturday mornings at blue ridge school.

Dorm Life:

1.) Describe the dorm life in your school - what did you like most about it?

Dorm life at Blue Ridge can be tough, but the dorm parents and staff really make it feel like home. room selection for new students is typically pretty random, the transfer process takes about 3 weeks after the trimester has started. Typically shared bathroom with a hall, 2 to a room, desks, dressers. The fancier dorm Boogher Hall is suite style with typically 4 to a bathroom. Usually second year students get into the nicer dorms. also lights out is lights out there is no food access unless brought.

Dining:

1.) Describe the dining arrangements at your school.

The dining hall is one thing that I missed the most my freshman year of college. The food is great, but as you can imagine cooking for 250+ people can prove to be extremely difficult. So I started the Food Committee my senior year, a student and faculty correspondence with the kitchen staff to create menus and meals. The cafeteria is open only during meal hours.

Social and Town Life:

1.) Describe the school's town and surrounding area.

The remarkable thing about Blue Ridge is that it doesn't have a surrounding town. The mountains are your back yard. Charlottesville is only a short bus ride away, and mall trips usually go out one or twice a week.

2.) Describe the social life at your school - what did you like most about it?

Everyone is famous for something at blue ridge, and everyone is part of the family. Boarding schools have a weird social dynamic in themselves. Having Chinese roommates and meeting people from Ghana was an eye opening experience. The teachers that live on campus become your neighbors and friends rather than superiors

In my family nearly every male for the past eight generations has attended a boarding school. My father went to Woodberry Forest, his father went to Episcopal HS in Alexandria, and his father went. . .

You and I have experienced all kinds of travel glitches. Discuss your child's upcoming travel plans thoroughly so that your child will be safe and in charge of her travel. The result will be peace of mind for you both.